Nios® V Processor: Lockstep Implementation

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ID 833274
Date 10/07/2024
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. About the Nios® V Processor Lockstep 2. Overview 3. Controlling the Nios® V Processor Lockstep 4. Programming Model 5. Signals, Interfaces, and Build Parameters 6. Using Nios® V Processor Lock Step A. Document Revision History for the Nios® V Processor: Lockstep Implementation B. Appendix
1. About the Nios® V Processor Lockstep x
1.1. Nios® V Processor Lockstep Features
2. Overview x
2.1. Introduction 2.2. Main Principles 2.3. Operating Modes 2.4. Resets 2.5. LOGS Information
2.2. Main Principles x
2.2.1. System Phases 2.2.2. System States 2.2.3. Safety Mechanisms
2.2.2. System States x
2.2.2.1. Transitioning between System States
2.2.3. Safety Mechanisms x
2.2.3.1. Self-Checking Comparator 2.2.3.2. Timeout Timer 2.2.3.3. Enable Counters 2.2.3.4. Specialized Safety Mechanism
2.3. Operating Modes x
2.3.1. NORMAL and SILENT Modes
2.4. Resets x
2.4.1. Resetting CORE 2.4.2. Resetting OPTIONS 2.4.3. Resetting LOGS 2.4.4. Resetting Time Diversity Register
2.5. LOGS Information x
2.5.1. ALARMS 2.5.2. CONTEXT 2.5.3. STATISTICS 2.5.4. Reset LOGS
2.5.1. ALARMS x
2.5.1.1. Configuring Alarm Severity
3. Controlling the Nios® V Processor Lockstep x
3.1. Configuration Interface 3.2. fRNET Interface 3.3. Controlling the Elective Features
3.3. Controlling the Elective Features x
3.3.1. Applying Timeout and Comparator Blind Window 3.3.2. Injecting Fault 3.3.3. Downloading the CPU Software 3.3.4. Debugging the CPU Software using SILENT Mode 3.3.5. Resetting the CPU upon Fault Detection
3.3.1. Applying Timeout and Comparator Blind Window x
3.3.1.1. Timeout 3.3.1.2. Comparator Blind Window 3.3.1.3. Calculating the Blind Window and Timeout Period
3.3.2. Injecting Fault x
3.3.2.1. Root Fault Injection 3.3.2.2. Alarm Fault Injection
3.3.4. Debugging the CPU Software using SILENT Mode x
3.3.4.1. Entering SILENT Mode 3.3.4.2. SILENT Mode Limitation 3.3.4.3. Exiting SILENT Mode
3.3.5. Resetting the CPU upon Fault Detection x
3.3.5.1. Basic Reset Control
4. Programming Model x
4.1. Memory Map 4.2. Configuring fRSmartComp during Run-time 4.3. Unlocking and Locking Registers 4.4. Detailed Register Description
4.1. Memory Map x
4.1.1. Memory Map—Part 1 4.1.2. Memory Map—Part 2 4.1.3. Memory Map—Part 3
4.4. Detailed Register Description x
4.4.1. DCLSM Blind Window Control Register - DCLSM_BWCR 4.4.2. All Alarms’ Prior Alarms’ Fault Injection Register - ERRCTRL_ALL_ALARMS_PRIOR_AFI 4.4.3. INTREQ Configuration Register - ERRCTRL_INTREQ_CONF 4.4.4. Timeout Deadline and Status Register - ERRCTRL_TIMEOUT 4.4.5. Timeout Acknowledgment Register - ERRCTRL_TIMEOUT_ACK 4.4.6. Enable Key fRSmartComp Control Register - ERRCTRL_ENABLE_KEY 4.4.7. Root Fault Injection Control register - ERRCTRL_ROOT_INJ 4.4.8. Alarm Fault Injection Control register - ERRCTRL_ALARM_INJ 4.4.9. Event Mask Configuration register - ERRCTRL_MASKA and ERRCTRL_MASKB 4.4.10. Alarm Routing Configuration register - ERRCTRL_ROUTA and ERRCTRL_ROUTB 4.4.11. Error Controller PGO LOG Reset Control register - ERRCTRL_PGOLOGRST 4.4.12. PGO0 and PGO4 Configuration registers - ERRCTRL_PGO0 and ERRCTRL_PGO4 4.4.13. FN_MODEIN Control Register - ERRCTRL_FNMODEIN 4.4.14. FN_MODEOUT register - ERRCTRL_FNMODEOUT 4.4.15. All Alarms After Fault Injection - ERRCTRL_FNGIALARMS 4.4.16. Error Controller Context Register - ERRCTRL_FNGICTXT4 4.4.17. CMP Mismatch CONTEXT Registers - ERRCTRL_FNGICMPCTXT0 … ERRCTRL_FNGICMPCTXT3 4.4.18. STATISTICS registers: ERRCTRL_FNGISTAT0 and ERRCTRL_FNGISTAT4 4.4.19. State register - ERRCTRL_FNPERIPHGI4
5. Signals, Interfaces, and Build Parameters x
5.1. Configuration Interface 5.2. System Interface 5.3. fRNET Interface 5.4. IP Parameters
5.3. fRNET Interface x
5.3.1. CONFIG 5.3.2. INFO
6. Using Nios® V Processor Lock Step x
6.1. Instantiating Lockstep-Enabled Processor 6.2. Connecting Signals and Interfaces 6.3. Compiling Design 6.4. Implementing Startup Procedure 6.5. Applying Optional Injection for Validation 6.6. Detecting Faults 6.7. Handling Faults (Safety Use Case)
6.2. Connecting Signals and Interfaces x
6.2.1. Connecting Clock and Reset 6.2.2. Connecting Configuration Interface 6.2.3. Connecting System Interface
6.2.1. Connecting Clock and Reset x
6.2.1.1. Clock 6.2.1.2. Reset
6.2.3. Connecting System Interface x
6.2.3.1. Asynchronous Reset Interface 6.2.3.2. CPU Halt and Restart Acknowledgment Interface 6.2.3.3. Silent Mode Interface 6.2.3.4. Output Qualification (TERMS_LEFT and TERMS_RIGHT) 6.2.3.5. Interrupt Request (INTREQ) 6.2.3.6. ALARMS Interfaces 6.2.3.7. Connecting fRNET Interface
6.7. Handling Faults (Safety Use Case) x
6.7.1. UC_01: Standard Fail Safe or No Availability 6.7.2. UC_02: False Positive Avoidance 6.7.3. UC_03: Timeout on System Reset or After Fault Detection
1. About the Nios® V Processor Lockstep
2. Overview
3. Controlling the Nios® V Processor Lockstep
4. Programming Model
5. Signals, Interfaces, and Build Parameters
6. Using Nios® V Processor Lock Step
A. Document Revision History for the Nios® V Processor: Lockstep Implementation
B. Appendix

3.3.3. Downloading the CPU Software

By default, the Lockstep solution begins operating under the environment when the CPU application boots from a memory-initialized On-Chip Memory or Tightly Coupled Memory.

If the Nios® V processor waits for a CPU software download before running, Altera recommends configuring the fRSmartComp to support the CPU software download. Nios® V processor supports three ways to download the CPU software onto the target memory.

Table 24.  Downloading the CPU Software
CPU Software Download Description fRSmartComp Configuration
JTAG Download 1

Using the Host CPU in Debug mode and download the CPU software onto the memory

  • Using Ashling RiscFree* IDE for Intel® FPGA, or
  • niosv-download executable

Altera recommends you to put the fRSmartComp in SILENT mode. As such, the timeout alarm is automatically masked. Note that the comparator is also stopped.

Or,

If the download times are slower than the Timeout, Altera recommends to configure and synthesize fRSmartComp with timeout OFF after reset (setting Default Timeout Period = 0).

JTAG Download 2

Use a dedicated JTAG-to- Avalon® Master bridge and download the CPU software onto the memory. This download typically lasts a few seconds to a few minutes.

During the download, the CPU runs whatever code is in its memory (from the reset vector). Therefore, for safety reasons, this case should only be used for development, not production.

Nios® V Bootloader

A simple software bootloader transfers code from the Flash memory (on-chip or off-chip) to internal SRAM during runtime.

 If the boot times are slower than the Timeout, you can configure and synthesize fRSmartComp with timeout OFF after reset (setting Default Timeout Period = 0).

As these phases are not safety-relevant, there is no safety issue. After the boot/download phases complete, according to the system-level safety analysis (e.g., if no other timeout/watchdog mechanisms are present), the software must reactivate the Timeout with the desired deadline through the Configuration Interface.

Note that with timeout OFF, there is no automatic timeout in the DISABLED state. To activate it, you need a specific write to the ERRCTRL_TIMEOUT register.
Figure 17. Safety Considerations During the Nios V Boot/Download/Run Phase
Level Two Title